As music icons across genres begin to inch into the cannabis industry, a big name in the alternative metal scene, Deftones, are launching their own cannabis collection, according to reporting by NME.
The band made the announcement on November 24 via social media, advertising the first edition of the line, dubbed The Passenger Box, as a team effort with California-based cannabis brand Golden Barn.
The band opened up more about the endeavor in a statement on their Instagram account: “Throughout our career, it has been an ongoing mission to provide our fans with quality products. Whether it’s music, beer, or tequila, we put in the time, care and effort to make sure we’re delivering merchandise to the market that [has] been thoroughly scrutinised by all of us.”
They continue, saying that the obvious next step in this progression is cannabis, as states across the country and areas around the world continue to embrace cannabis reform and undo the damage done by strict enforcement law and the War on Drugs.
“In the foreseeable future, we will be rolling out several different products in this vertical via [Golden Barn], and we are excited to unveil our first: The Passenger Box,” the band said.
According to Deftones, there are nine locations in California that have their cannabis line in stock. They added, “More will be distributed throughout the state in the following week. Stay tuned.”
The official announcement video, which accompanies the band’s written statement in the post caption, boasts the “great scent” and flavor profile, which “taste just like it smells,” they said. The clip is a visual treat, showcasing an HD preview of the buds, concentrates, edibles and vapes for the band’s first product installment.
They also said that creating the branding to match the brand aesthetic was an “awesome process.” Deftones collaborated with Frank Maddocks, who also helped them to design some of the band’s past album art, to create graphics for this new, cannabis-based endeavor.
The name The Passenger Box comes from the band’s White Pony track, “Passenger,” alongside the 2000 album’s logo.
The announcement also follows the band’s Grammy nominations announcement last week: Deftones received nominations in the Best Rock Performance (“Ohms”) and Best Metal Performance (“Genesis”) categories for next year’s awards. The Mike Shinoda remix of “Passenger” also snagged a nom for Best Remixed Recording.
Deftones are far from the first musical professionals to embrace the cannabis market:
Jay-Z has been a vocal advocate for cannabis reform for years, denouncing the War on Drugs in 2015 and moving forward to focus on his cannabis company, MONOGRAM, alongside a number of efforts to support minority cannabis business owners and social equity in the industry.
Music icon Beyoncé joined her husband earlier this year in chatting about her potential future in cannabis, referencing that she discovered the benefits of CBD on her last tour and that she was in the process of building a hemp and honey farm. Her foundation, BeyGood, also partnered with NAACP to give the Maryland cannabis company The Gift a grant for $10,000 to go toward the support of Black-owned businesses affected by COVID-19.
On the other side of the genre spectrum, Swedish electropop artist Tove Lo also announced her partnership with Cann, a California infused beverage company, along with Sweet Flower and Airfield Supply Company, in making a special, caffeinated and herb-infused beverage.
“I’ve been obsessed with Cann since the first time I tried it a few years ago,” she said. “I love the high, the flavors, the design and also the people who run it.”
While history has shown that we can’t necessarily predict the path forward surrounding the ever-changing, legal cannabis industry, the addition of Deftones to the abundant, musically inclined new cannabis titans coming out of the woodworks could very well usher in more alternative and metal artists to embrace the weed boom rippling throughout the U.S. and the world.
